Surrey Archaeological Society

Final season of the ongoing research excavation by P Harp of Plateau continued to recover later prehistoric material

Evaluation by D Swift of ASE revealed a number of linear features, probably drainage and/or boundary ditches of post-17th century date, although they rarely produced datable material. Two of the ditches produced small quantities of Late Bronze Age and Late Iron Age pottery, although there was no conclusive evidence to suggest that this material was not residual in later features. Some small pits/postholes were also found, although none contained dating evidence. Most of the datable material was recovered from the topsoil, and was predominantly post-medieval in date.

Ground penetrating radar survey by T Archer of Arrow Geophysics as part of the park regeneration project. The area of the former tennis courts was examined during the trial trench evaluation to examine the extent of the structural archaeological remains that work had revealed. Despite the apparent suitability of the technique for this purpose and the known shallow depth of the remains, the results were disappointingly inconclusive, probably due to a number of factors including the uneven nature of parts of the area and buried building debris.

Evaluation and excavation by J Robertson of SCAU, undertaken as part of the park regeneration programme. The area of the former tennis courts was evaluated, with evidence for the remains of a hexagonal dovecote, structural walls and a hearth being revealed. The area was thought more suitable for geophysical survey, however, and this technique was pursued here subsequently (see report below).

Evaluation by T Collie of ASE revealed evidence for extensive terracing of the site prior to the construction of the existing house in the 1930s. However, one trench revealed an intact soil profile with a shallow depression containing pottery of a Late Iron Age–Early Roman date, with a more substantial cut feature of this period also being located. A subsequent investigation by D Whittaker of ASE revealed further evidence of this date in a roughly linear alignment.

Evaluation by F Raymond of BAS identified significant Bronze Age deposits concentrated on a plateau of land in the south-eastern part of the site, and this area was subsequently excavated. Activity commenced during the Mesolithic period, and is marked by the presence of a flint scatter from the southern part of the site. There were no concentrations of flint and no features, suggesting the principal focus, if there is one, lies or lay to the south and east. The focus of Early and Middle Bronze Age activity was located on the eastern side of the site.

Watching brief undertaken by N Shaikhley of SCAU during the installation of a pipeline revealed no features or stray finds of archaeological interest.

Second season of excavation undertaken by D Bird for the Roman Studies Group of SyAS to improve understanding of the villa plan and its phasing, clarify the relationship between the approach road and the villa, and to gather information about the current state of preservation of the buried archaeological remains.

Observation by D Hartley of SyAS, of excavated foundations close to a Romano-British occupation site, excavated by A W G Lowther in the 1920s and early 1930s, revealed a pit and other cuts into the chalk.

Evaluation by P Jones and N Marples of SCAU revealed modern made-ground and surfaces, and no finds or features of archaeological interest